A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the diagnostic capability of automated breast ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound in breast cancer

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic performance of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in breast cancer.MethodsPublished studies were collected by systematically searching the databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. The sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were confirmed. The symmetric receiver operator characteristic curve (SROC) was used to assess the threshold of ABUS and CEUS. Fagan’s nomogram was drawn. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were applied to search for sources of heterogeneity among the included studies.ResultsA total of 16 studies were included, comprising 4115 participants. The combined sensitivity of ABUS was 0.88 [95% CI (0.73–0.95)], specificity was 0.93 [95% CI (0.82–0.97)], area under the SROC curve (AUC) was 0.96 [95% CI (0.94–0.96)] and DOR was 89. The combined sensitivity of CEUS was 0.88 [95% CI (0.84–0.91)], specificity was 0.76 [95% CI (0.66–0.84)], AUC was 0.89 [95% CI (0.86–0.92)] and DOR was 24. The Deeks’ funnel plot showed no existing publication bias. The prospective design, partial verification bias and blinding contributed to the heterogeneity in specificity, while no sources contributed to the heterogeneity in sensitivity. The post-test probability of ABUS in BC was 75%, and the post-test probability of CEUS in breast cancer was 48%.ConclusionCompared with CEUS, ABUS showed higher specificity and DOR for detecting breast cancer. ABUS is expected to further improve the accuracy of BC diagnosis.